The Ultimate Thursday at Institute

Doctors' office life: thankfully I didn't
have to put on a gown or anything

Skipping formalities, changing my intro up a bit: this was a crazy week! Tons of successes and lots of probably abnormal things to normal people, but I'm a missionary so it's not as ridiculous to me at this point.

Tyson!

REPTILES. For example, I may or may not have said a prayer holding a bearded dragon at an investigator's house on Tuesday :) Just with timing and not thinking ahead, I asked to hold the lizard (she'd been holding him the whole time we'd been teaching) and then since it was the end of the lesson and my turn to pray, I just said it while holding Tyson. Also, I've now met a person, dog, and lizard named Tyson, so I'm not quite sure what to think about the name.

FOR THE BOOKS. So lemme tell you about Thursday:

*we picked up not one, but TWO investigators before 1 p.m.!

After our lesson, Quinn usually likes to make
life difficult and park us in. YSA is definitely
an entertaining experience!

*it slushed on us (mostly rain with a bit of frozen snow wannabe pieces)

*we found a porta potty in someone's driveway with no sign of construction going on so maybe they just want it there

The facebook skype call at Institute
because we're missionaries
and we don't just facetime

*I met the Ward Mission Leader (congregation member whose assignment is to help out the missionaries in the ward) for Citrus Heights YSA, who just happens to be where Sister Swenson and Storms serve. So of course when he texted them saying he met me at the Institute building, they facebook skype called us since they were on their lunch break. It was stellar I love them so much!

*My eye freaked out and got really bloodshot for about an hour

*One of my fillings got chipped, so we called 1 of our 50 dentist connections in Rocklin and I'll be getting that fixed hopefully sometime soon

Never a dull moment with
Lauren and Pele

*Sister Whitesell got a minor infection and had to go to Urgent Care at 7:30 p.m. after ignoring the pain all day because missionaries have too much work to do rather than go around to doctors! Honestly I don't know how they survived without antibiotics in olden times. Update: I'm back to healthy again, no worries

beautiful

STARS ALIGN. If that wasn't a roller coaster of a day, I really don't know what else I can do to impress you :) Regarding the important things of Thursday: The Lord's timing is perfect. We went to the Institute Building. It's a place where the church holds religious classes you can take, so the building is usually close to a college campus of some sort. We walk in and decide to sit and talk with a group that's already there.

didn't believe me did ya?

 When we finally get around to learning names and introductions, Kelly says his name and I make the connection that he was the one who finally responded to our text from about two months ago, that very morning! We had asked him about his nonmember girlfriend, and yes you guessed it, she was also there, sitting right next to me.

It was really cool to have a setting where we could just get to know people and become friends before immediately jumping to religious things. After we all ate, and were about to head out we asked Lexie if she wanted to be taught again, since we knew she had taken lessons before but felt pressured, so she'd backed off. She said yes, and we were able to meet with her on Saturday.

kinda shows you how organized YSA is
with feeding the missionaries

She said that last time (in September or so) she just wasn't really in a spot where she wanted to focus on God much, but now she wanted to figure out how to make him more of a central part of her life. She asked if we could help her do that! As missionaries, there's almost nothing we love hearing more than someone who asks to strengthen their relationship with our Heavenly Father. We are super excited to keep working with her!

I love California winter clouds!

LEARN SOMETHING NEW. But yeah, that was the craziness of Thursday. I mean, we also got some impromptu gardening in to help out a member's neighbor, and we helped clean out someone's house and are excited to go back and help more. We met more members in the Rocklin 5th Ward--holy smokes so many new names is hard!

when you have a photographer companion,
it leads to some cool shots occasionally

I learned how missions do actually help with learning how to study in the future because we have to know so many people and backgrounds it's ridiculous. We talked to a stranger who says there's a potential that we're in a dome and the world is flat. Just the usual funny mission things :)

SMALL BUT MIGHTY. I'll end with a little poem that I read in my studies this week; it is short but powerful.

All the water in the world
How ever hard it tried,
Could never sink the smallest ship

only in CA...can you find so many expensive
and often ridiculous-looking cars. The
majority of the expensive cars
in Rocklin are Escalades

Unless it [gets] inside.

And all the evil in the world,
The blackest kind of sin,
Can never hurt you the least bit
Unless you let it in.

I'll let you interpret that as it applies to you. Life is hard but it's so worth it!

Sister Whtitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

751 Central Park Dr. #321
Roseville, CA 95678

Let's taco 'bout this

A member has had this set up on
their wall for over a year now...
and I saw a glimpse of my future

I think I'm gonna look back at these emails in 10 years and see that all of them start exactly the same way...hey it's Monday! You made it another week, I made it another week, that deserves a pat on the back and some ice cream we all know we can't work off because missionaries only get 30 minutes of exercise time a day. Not that I worked out at home, but at least I can pretend that I was trying to stay in shape!

"winter" clouds make the best sunsets!

PLENTIFUL FOOD. Anyways, tacos. Not the stellar sketchy taco truck tacos. Like the American white tortillas with ground beef, lettuce, cheese, beans, tomatoes, all that jazz. Why do I bring those up? Because we've had them for dinner three times this week. By far the most common meal we get, not the assumed lasagna or spaghetti, but tacos. Just a little window glimpse into the lives of missionaries for ya.

Valentine's Day brownies! Such a
kind companion. I ate a little
before I remembered to get a picture

TALL GRASS. Sister Whitesell moment(s) of this week! Sometimes after doing the same type of thing for a long time, I need to spice things up a bit. That usually means indulging the impulsive side of my brain. Granted, I still keep the filter of "is this dangerous" on, don't worry, but sometimes the inner 5 year old comes out.

This was before I started laying in it.
It was tall enough for me
to actually disappear

This week it was in the form of tall grass. I didn't actually realize it until Sister Johnson pointed it out, but I lay/hid in the tall grass twice this week because it was super tall and very green. Honestly, even taking a few seconds out of the day to do something ridiculous helps so much to lift spirits! Don't forget to take time out of your day to do something out of the ordinary.

another sunset except I tried to make it look fancy

WHEN IT RAINS. We also helped dry off a stranger's car, because once again someone actually said yes when we asked if we could help! We always appreciate those days. But here's the catch: he gave us a towel and it started raining. So we dried off the car not once but FOUR times, before giving up and letting it just get wet in the afternoon shower. Pick your battles.

the progression of 'weekly planning...'

DINNER IN AN HOUR. Miracles on miracles on miracles! Heavenly Father has a way of making the most of every situation. On Friday we went to our dinner appointment only to get there and the food wasn't even close to done. As missionaries, the rule is dinner should be no longer than an hour. The understanding I have is that that timer starts when dinner is on the table because it's not your fault if the meal isn't ready yet, and you can't just shovel down food. That's rude.

basically a few hours on Friday of figuring out...

Well, we showed up and the mom apologized a ton, and let us know the food wasn't quite ready...meaning it wasn't done for another hour. At that point I was stressed, but the positive side was, it gave us an extra hour to get to know the family, as well as the friend they invited. It took us a little while to figure out that he wasn't a member of the church, but when we found out, we knew the lesson we had planned for after dinner would not fit well.

Taste the Rainbow

...what you're doing all the next week.
(it's exhausting obviously)

FAVORITES. Instead, we went around the table and each shared our favorite scripture and bore testimony of it. The fastest way to bring in the spirit, aside from prayer, is through the scriptures and sharing how they have impacted your life. It was so amazing to see just how much the Book of Mormon has helped so many people! The feeling of peace and comfort that was there was one of the strongest on my mission at a member's dinner so far.

We got to talk to Leo afterwards, and he was interested in learning more! Thankfully as missionaries, we have that opportunity to teach as well as learn. And to add to the evening, their daughter walked out with us and told us that before that night, she was really on the fence about serving a mission, but because of dinner and the spirit she felt there, she's definitely serving one! You will always leave an impact wherever you go, so try to make it positive!

Ok but seriously this was the best rainbow I've
seen in so long! You can't tell in this pic but it was
a double rainbow, and the more visible one
had all the colors TWICE!

SCRIPTURES. I know that the Book of Mormon has been a guiding source of truth and comfort for so many millions of people, and I want to back them all up by saying that Heavenly Father uses scripture to speak to us. The Book of Mormon contains His full gospel and can provide all the direction we need if we're willing to listen. It's given me more guidance than I thought possible, especially on my mission, and if you pray with a sincere heart to know if it's true, you'll be able to receive that peace and clarity that it is!

Batman, no description needed

I know it's one of the basics that you probably hear often, but read your scriptures each day, even just a verse, and it will help you more than you can imagine.

Keep pushing through this week, and: You're doing better than you think you are!

Sister Whitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net
751 Central Park Dr. #321
Roseville, CA 95678

(P.S. The missionary bubble is so thick honestly, any updates of the real world *cougholympicscough* are always appreciated just sayin)

Woooooaaaah, we're halfway there!

I got to see Sister King at the store today!
We figured we'd belatedly celebrate 9 months
with holding bread, of course

Yup, it's official: people no longer think I'm new to the mission when they ask how long I've been out. Granted, I also say "a little under a year" at this point, cause Sister Johnson and I have a goal of not talking much about time, but 9 months is a big one!

the lengths missionaries will go,
to NOT have their companion
back out the car

CHOLESTEROL CUE. Anyway, prime moment of the week: there are always plenty, but here are a few highlights. We asked our investigator what his "constant" was (to be able to find something that he does every day, as a cue for when to pray. So he can pray every day). His immediate response was "cholesterol." Honestly I don't think I've had a better response to that question! Sister Johnson and I may or may not have died laughing just a little bit. The humor some people have is amazing, and definitely something I love about being a missionary!

KAMIKAZE FOWL. Also while we were in Loomis, we stopped by a YSA's house and when we parked the car, we were looking around at all the creatures outside. We hadn't seen any in a little while, as Rocklin is much more suburban. There were turkeys, a horse, 4 deer, and a few cats all in view, and right as we were planning on getting out, we heard a THUMP and then saw more turkeys running out from behind the car. So we got to be the victim of a turkey attack as one ran into our car. Neature!

A church member gave us these,
and all I could think of when I
saw it was a pun that would make
some proud and others
cry a little inside

PICK UP THE PACE. From my announcement last week (that we are covering 2 wards now), you may be wondering how 'taking over 2 wards/congregations' is working out. If I had two words, I'd say 'wonderfully chaotic!' Holy Smokes there is so much to do and never enough time but we're making it work! I love having so many new people to meet and teach and find! Change is never a bad thing and a lot of change is even better! But we've already seen so many miracles with this ward and I'm excited to keep working with them. One of the biggest miracles was we were going to teach the Byrd family. They're less active, and their 9-year-old son isn't a member yet, but they want to get back into the gospel. However it's not their biggest focus yet, so the previous missionaries were trying to work with them.

I didn't include this one last
week, when Sister Walker
went home (she "died")

We pull up to the house, and I totally had been there before! We knocked on the door and Sister Byrd opened it, looked at us and actually recognized me. 8 weeks ago I went on exchanges with Sister Barrows and Sister Andersen, and we taught this family the first lesson, which happened to be the last one they'd had until now. The fact that I'm now going to be in their ward/congregation, and have the opportunity to continue working with them, is amazing. I'm excited to find out more of why this coincidence has taken place.

The impacts you have last longer than you think! Sister Byrd remembered some of what we taught from the last lesson, and was so excited to have a new missionary (me) who they already knew, in their ward. Even when you feel like you don't make a difference, someone needs you and the talents and personality you have!

self-explanatory

FULL DAY. Last bit: let me just tell you about how ridiculous Saturday was (Saturday was my 9 month mark, halfway through the mission). Clearly I needed a crazy day, to match how crazy it is that I've been out this long. We started our first lesson at 9 a.m. Usually we don't leave until 10 but since this is a new ward, and this being the only time our investigator could meet, we agreed.

We show up, and it's actually her and some of her friends getting together. So we crashed a monthly gathering they have, and we got to see how God affects so many people so positively. By noon, we'd had 3 lessons already. We had about 15 minutes for lunch before another lesson, which we then had to end a little early to make a meeting with our new Bishop.

we had to stay within sight and sound

We had time for personal study and a short comp study, then it was straight to dinner and another lesson. And somehow we got a weekly report typed up, too. We didn't finish working until 10:15 p.m. Some days are definitely busier than others! But everything we do is worth it, and as weird as it sounds, I've still never been happier despite the difficulties.

SCRIPTURE ON THE ATONEMENT. The scripture of the week is 1 Nephi 21:16, "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

Taylor's Shakes! They've got walls full
of flavors! And it's a famous place for
missionaries, so now I can say I've gone.
The shakes are amazing too :)

This is one of my all-time favorite scriptures for multiple reasons. It focuses on the Atonement, and it reminds us of how much He loves us, and the impossibility of Him ever forgetting about us. It's in my patriarchal blessing, and it talks about our trials and struggles that He suffered for. He has chosen against having a perfect resurrected body so that He has an eternal reminder etched and engraved into the very fibers of His otherwise perfect being, of what He did for you...of the pains and trials you will go through.

The walls that you feel like you can't overcome are always at the forefront of His mind, so that this earth life can be easier and in the end have a greater eternal impact on you in the life after this too. Because of this we can have that hope, that things will be better and I know it does get better, even when at times it seems impossible to keep going on and moving forward.

You have to let the little things
bring you joy, too

So never give up on Him, because he never has and never will give up on you! That promise was sealed through His atoning blood and sacrifice, so you can know of a surety that He loves you and will always be with you.

Remember life doesn't always have to be about the trials...find something that makes you happy this week and do it!

Sister Whitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

751 Central Park Dr. #321
Roseville, CA 95678

"Can I Pet Your Dog?"

It's MONDAYYYYY and I'm still hyped from playing some ultimate frisbee earlier :) But, I hope all your weeks and weekends were good as life continues on. Ups and downs are normal though, so don't feel like you needed to have an amazing day all day!

we got the MISSION VAN for a whole 2 days
it was so great :)

PETS TO PET. So much happened this week! On the animal side (my favorite side), I stole a few more cats, not kidding one actually just climbed onto me and I walked a ways with it, and on Wednesday, we pet about 6 people's dogs outside :D Best way to start a conversation with anyone, especially as a missionary: "Can I pet your dog?" Sister Johnson and I plan on finding a member with a dog that we can walk because it's such a good way to meet friendly people!

I've never seen one of these that
looked this vibrant, aside from
pictures (Mom note: not sure
what she's referring to)

Yes that tie definitely fits

STAYING PUT. Speaking of Sister Johnson, transfers are here and I'll be here with Sister Johnson for at least another 6 weeks! It's weird not to have change: my first stable transfer in awhile. But the fun thing is, we're picking up another ward (congregation), so we're "double-covering" with Rocklin 5th Ward.

Zone and District pics!

The lame news is that Sister Walker is going home (I'm not sad it's fine) and Sister Barrows is leaving too! That's why we're picking up Rocklin 5th. That dynamic duo is leaving, and I honestly have no idea how we're going to fill their ginormous shoes. The zone is definitely gonna miss them.

Rockin' Rocklin

HAD TO HAPPEN. Fun Sister Whitesell moment...I went to kick a ball today, and may or may not have overshot it again, and ended up on my back. I wonder how I did sports before, because this has happened so many times?!?
Also, one of our church members fed us dinner, and for dessert we had amazing chocolate and vanilla pudding. The catch? We couldn't use utensils :) it was so fun and messy! Honestly perks of being in a young single adult ward because you can do things like that. It was the member's idea, don't worry.

post-pudding, yes it
got in my nose

Last Thursday we had exchanges, and I was once again with Sister Storms and I love her so much--we were pumped to be companions for a day! We went to her area this time so I left Rocklin YSA for the first time in a long time; it was so weird. But we got to paint a shed! Some of you may have seen Sister Storms's post, but it was so fun to do manual labor like that and see the vibrant red fruits of our labors outside.

Because who needs ladders when
painting? (also potentially trying to
foreshadow future companion by doing
a shoulders pic? if we're lucky)

Huge miracle, and also slightly terrifying, Monday we had an amazing lesson with Lauren R! Last Sunday we also went to a stake meeting since Sister Johnson is a sister training leader, and President and Sister Ward were there so they asked us after if they could come to Lauren's next lesson.

OBSERVATION. So we taught a lesson with our Mission President! When we started I was more than stressed, but as the lesson went on, the spirit came in so strongly, and Lauren had so many concerns answered, and it was amazing to just be there and feel how much Heavenly Father loves each of us! I love having moments and lessons like that more than I love playing volleyball. It's just so amazing to feel, and the peace fuels you for the hard days ahead.

the amount of cat there is in this photo...
and it's just ONE cat

This week had some very difficult days, I'm not gonna lie. I was able to learn the lesson that I'm a very imperfect person, and I definitely struggle with some aspects of missionary work. But the really cool thing is, you can always learn from those harder days. I know I'm not the only one who feels down and sometimes doubts themselves and feels inadequate.

Sister Walker :'( can't believe
she's already done. But also
look at the timing for my roll!

SILVER LININGS. We are all very imperfect people, but that's literally why you're here on the earth. If you were perfect you wouldn't have to go through this trial and error phase here. Heavenly Father also needs your imperfections because they're perfect for someone else. If you were perfect, you wouldn't have any connections because everyone would see you as this unreachable person who they can't relate to.

This is the cat that climbed onto me;
you'd think it hates me

So don't get frustrated over the imperfections. Find someone else who you can help, and connect with those similar imperfections, and you'll realize that you have them to help others, and grow yourself along the way. Plus, He's never gonna love you any less because of an imperfection you have. So don't stress it!

You are all amazing, and I know each of you has something to share that others need to hear. Live up to your potential this week, and don't forget how crazy ridiculous and amazing each of you are! (Cheesy I know, but true.)

Sister Whitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

751 Central Park Dr. #321
Roseville, CA 95678